Awakened
by hanabananana
Summary: Just how does it feel to have your soul sealed away for thousands of years? And how will Egypt cope with It's Pharaoh fallen?


My second one-shot yay! XD

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters belong to me except Akil because he is awesome!

Goodness, this took me all week to write which wasn't smart since I have coursework and other priorities...meh.  
Also, I've hidden a quote from a Shakespeare play in the story somewhere bet ya can't find it!  
Oh and just so you don't go and get yourselves all confused, everything is in chronological order.

"Pharoah!" came the distressed cry of a young magician. "Pharoah, please wake up!" The girl shook the king expecting to wake him but he lay unmoved. A delicate hand was placed on her shivering shoulder.

"Mana, he's.."

"Don't say it, please Isis," tears filled her large brown eyes as she begged not to hear the words that would mean their King, her friend, was gone. The sobbing girl held the motionless figure in her arms, his arms dropped, limp and lifeless like a doll. The golden Puzzle around his neck held no significance anymore, it was just a pendant. His once vibrant, blond bangs were damp and bloodstained. His beautiful, amethyst eyes were hidden behind closed eyelids. Would they ever be seen again? His dark skin was no longer glowing, it was just dark, etched with scars and wounds. Mana closed her eyes and buried her face in his strong chest. There was no heartbeat, filling his body with blood, the essence of life. There was no gentle rise and fall to indicate breathing. He was merely a shell of who he once was, a great Pharaoh, whom of which conquered the evil forces of Zorc, the dark one. Who single handed saved Egypt, and possibly even the world, from destruction. He was a hero, but he was dead.

"It's over Seto," several meters from the fallen Pharaoh stood the high priest. He observed the chaos from afar, not wanting to see the devastating result of the battle up close. His dark brown hair gently swaying in the slight breeze. "This may seem sudden, but as the Kings closest living relative, am I right in presuming that you will be taking his place as Pharaoh?" The priest lowered his gaze to the saddened eyes of Shada, a guardian of the Pharaoh.

"I'm sorry Shada, I cannot discuss this right now"

"Victory is ours Seto, the future should be bright from now. The war is won." Seto's eyes closed in a pained expression.

"I am afraid I do not feel like we've won anything Shada." The priest held his breath and took a step towards the growing crowd who were weeping for their lost King. "Isis," He called. "We should take the king back to the palace, clear off the villagers."

"Yes Seto." The woman began doing as ordered. The crowd was unwilling to move, none could believe the price that was payed to save them. Words of their gratitude could be heard amongst the sea of voices. The quiet sobs of the young girl became audible as the crowd thinned. The two looked onward as Mana began to accept that he was not waking up. It was painful to listen to, especially coming from one always so perky and optimistic. "Mana," Isis stepped towards the girl, cautious of her emotions. "Know that the Pharaoh did this to himself to lock away the evil forces of Zorc. His soul is sealed away for now, but i can tell you, in my vision, he does return," No-one said anything. Seto wanted to believe her words, yet somehow he was finding it difficult. He knew the extent of the black magic that was used, the binding contract of his soul could not be undone too easily, if even it was possible.

"Come on," Seto declared, gently lifting the Pharaoh from Mana's grasp as the golden puzzle dangled from his side. She seemed hesitant but let him go.

"It's not fair." She whispered barely audible enough for anyone to hear. "I'll miss you Atem."

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"Is anybody out there?

Hello?

can anybody hear me?"

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Mana sat on the stone steps just outside the palace entrance. Morning had come and Memphis (Yes, I set it in Memphis, get over it) had begun to recover. Workmen were clearing away the rubble whilst the citizens began getting back to their everyday lives, most trying to forget the previous devastating few weeks. The official mourning of the deceased Pharaoh had begun, men stopped shaving and women wore their hair down to honour the tradition in Egypt. In 70 days, after the mummification was finished, a new Pharaoh was to be crowned, yet without a regent to become the new king, people began panicking. Seto was everyone's first choice, however he hadn't been in the most talkative mood since the night before.

Mana just sighed and watched the world go by, which was exactly what was bothering her. It was as if the Pharaoh had never existed. Everyone was carrying on with their lives the same way as they did before. She felt as if she was the only person who cared that he had died. It wasn't because Atem wasn't a brilliant Pharaoh that nobody seemed upset, it was probably down to the fact that he had barely had a chance to start his rein before the chaos and destruction of Zorc threatened to tear down the whole of civilization. No-one got a chance to know him as the ruler of their country. Sighing, the magicians apprentice gathered herself together and headed towards the river, staff in hand.

"Come on! almost there...ooh!" tears of frustration forming in her eyes as the small fish splashed back into the flowing river, Mana gave up and sat herself on the hot stone by the riverbank. She had been practising the simple trick for weeks but she never managed to catch a single fish. Her master, Mahad, was one of the unfortunate who had been lost during the battle and without him to guide her, her skills were slipping. Mana had hoped that practising her magic would take her mind away from her loss yet only brought back more memories, not only of the Pharoah, but of Mahad also. Two of the closest men in her life, both disappeared so quickly.

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The sheer vastness of the place was astonishing. The walls stretched as far as anyone's sight could reach. Cold grey stones binded the room together and prevented anything, even a ray of light, from entering the dark, desolate room. The only light in the entire place came from a tiny slit in the middle of a giant stone eye embedded in one of the walls. The meager beam of golden light penetrated the murky room, somehow filling the rest of the space with a dim illumination making sight a possibility. Which of course the Pharaoh, whom alone sat in a dark, shadowy corner, was grateful for.

This was his eternity, his life after death. After shouting and screaming for hours into the endless pits of nothingness, he had come to remember that this was his own doing. His own black magic was responsible for sentencing him to a fate worse than death. None of his feelings were of regret or self pity, just sadness of what was left behind. What was wasted in his life and what he would never experience. His friends mostly dominated his thoughts, those who had stood by him through everything, even if it had not been for very long, they were loyal in his eyes.

The silence was grave and surrounded everything. The disgusting feeling of loneliness was growing in the pit of Atem's stomach. An echo reverberated around the stone walls for an unnatural period of time as the Pharoah rose to his feet. Although the space was massive, he couldn't help but feel closed in. Deciding exploring his surroundings would help, a constant slow pace begun as he walked about the onyx room of his soul.

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"There _must_ have been some other way to stop Zorc," Seto practically interrogated Isis. He was utterly and completely lost. The high priest was never much of an emotional person, yet after previous events and what the Pharaoh had done to himself in order to save the world, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty that nothing else was even tried.

"Perhaps," Isis replied calmly "but we were running out of time and it was simply the only option left."

There was no denying that the king was dead, yet keeping occupied was a good way to deal with grief, which was exactly what Seto was trying to do. He knew that finding another solution would not bring him back however, it did lift a small weight of the guilt and grief from his shoulders.

Evening was approaching again and the brunette had spent most of the day hiding behind scrolls in the palace library. He had found a few factful things hidden amongst a pile of other helpful pieces of parchment, yet nothing seemed to be quite what he was hoping to find. Isis' words echoed in his mind. She had implied that there may well have been another solution, the Pharaohs fate may not have needed to be sealed as it had been, if only he had taken the time to do more research instead of insisting that he fought. Seto screwed his eyes up and buried his head within the papyrus as another wave of guilt washed over his exhausted mind.

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There was no indication of time in the darkness of Atems soul room. He could have been there for days, months, years maybe, it was impossible for him to tell. However, in the time that he had been there, he still hadn't managed to explore the whole of the vast area. Somehow, he was lost in the square shaped vicinity, he could not manage to find his way back to the wall with the eye of Horus carved skillfully into the stone, the one place with a source of light. Desperation spread through his veins, he was alone, cold and had nothing in this place. It was as though he has been locked in a dungeon to rot, except he could not rot. He could not die, he couldn't even age. Nothing about him physically could change but that wasn't what was bothering him so deeply. He could feel his sanity slipping away, with each passing moment, he began doubting his existence more and more. Was it an illusion? was he dead or no? As it was, the period of time he had spent there was quite short, yet it had already begun feeling like an eternity to the lost soul.

Atem grew tired of exploring the same surroundings over and over. After an amount of time, of which he was was not sure how much, he had managed to find his way back to the illuminous eye and was also confident he could find it again. He was surprised at how easy it was to get lost in such a basic design in shape, yet after a few attempts at navigation, he had grown confident that he could find his way around. This time round however, he discovered something new. A grey, formidable door. He was almost positive that it was not there last time he had explored that part. Curiosity, as it does with most of us, had gotten the better of him. cautiously, he grasped the handle and opened the suspicious looking door, preparing himself for what may lurk behind. swinging the door open, he perked his head into the darkened room. It was considerably smaller than the main one but it was just as empty. The former Pharaoh was confused more than anything. There was evidently no point whatsoever to this addition, so why had the door to it just suddenly appeared? More and more questions similar to this were arising, which was something else Atem was grateful for. If he had something new to think about, it would hopefully prevent him from losing his sanity, which at that moment, though it was fading, was the only thing he had left. Although fearful to admit it to himself, his memories were silently fading away along with everything else he had once knew.

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"Master Seto, please consider!" begged one of the royal scribes, Akil. "There is no one else more fit for the job than you, my lord!" Seto sighed, he wasn't so sure. Lately, he had been doubting himself of being worthy of anything.

"I'm not sure, Akil." The middle-aged Egyptian had a questioning expression which prompted the priest to continue. "I haven't even been crowned regent, plus, very few people know of my royal heritage. I don't think that my coronation would be very well received by the public."

"None of that matters my lord," Akil encouraged, whilst taking a seat opposite the priest at the table cluttered with old pieces of parchment. Seto had been researching for well over a week and had found nothing which could have spared the Pharaohs life, however, he had found a few helpful spells which could have bought them more time. "There have been many previous rulers who were not of royal blood and It's not too late for you to be crowned regent, if only you decide quickly, we are running out of time Master Seto." Seto listened to Akil's words and silently considered what he was saying however he was almost certain of his decision.

"It's not just that." He responded. "A mans name is normally a reflection of his life. Your name, Akil, means _intelligence_. Are you intelligent, Akil?"

"Uhh, My lord..." Seto just smiled.

"Yes, of course you are. A man in a high position such as your's must be. My name, Seto, is a variation of _Set_, the evil god of chaos who killed his own brother, Osiris. Perhaps I am evil just as Set was, I am in no way worthy to rule Egypt." Stunned at this statement, the scribe persisted to argue his own case.

"M..My lord, Seto can also mean _of great strength, _which is perfect for a king. He was also known to slay the chaos serpent Apep in order to allow the sun to rise each day. If you ask me Sir, you are more than worthy to rule this country." At this, the middle aged man bowed down gracefully and left, allowing the priest to consider.

Mana was sitting by the river, practicing her spells. She had been practicing a lot more in the past week as she had little else to do. It freed her mind and slowly, she began thinking of her lost loved ones less and less, after all, there was no spell which could bring either of them back. She had mastered the fishing trick and had moved on to more advance spells in her magic book. Pleased with herself as she had just managed to perfect the one she was practicing, she was interrupted by the gleeful calls of Isis.

_what's she doing her?_ The magician thought to herself as she greeted the dark haired woman.

"Mana, I have great news!" Isis exclaimed.

"Did you have a vision?" The girl asked excitedly. Isis nodded before elaborating.

"The high priest, Seto will be our new King!"

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Over time, more and more doors, identical to the first, were appearing all over Atems soul room. some doors had more doors within them. But not only were there doors appearing, stairs also, they would lead up to more doors or just lead up to nothing. Some stairs would twist and turn endlessly until he found himself back where he had started. The ex-pharaoh would spend endless amounts of time exploring the ever-growing maze and trying to decipher it. After all, time was all he had.

Unbeknownst to him, 88 years had passed whilst he was trapped in the never ending labryinth. The world he knew had moved on and forgotten about him. However, even if he knew this little fact, it would not bother him, as slowly but surely, his memories of his life were disappearing. They were slipping through his fingers as he tried to hold on to the most dearest of them but there was nothing that could be done. The maze kept him preoccupied which prevented him from lingering on what he was losing for too long but whenever he tried to recall the name of a loved one, or the face of someone he once knew, it teared him apart to find it couldn't be done. Although he hadn't realized, with each lost memory, the labrynth grew. In time, everything would be gone.

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"Yugi!...YUGI!" called a short silver-haired man from the bottom of the stairway. He was dressed in green overalls and a white shirt and looked to be in his 70's. The pitter patter of small feet could be heard across the landing as a young 7-year-old boy hurriedly ran to the stairs.

"Sorry Gramps! I forgot I was supposed to help you today." He murmured sheepishly, showing himself at the top of the stairs in his blue pajamas. His black and purple hair scruffy from his slumber and his blond bangs askew. "I'll be right down!"

After a quick change of outfit, Yugi was in the basement stacking boxes. It didn't bother him that all the other kids his age were out playing this time on a Sunday whilst he was hard at work. He enjoyed helping out his Grandpa. Standing on a step ladder with three heavy boxes in hand, the small boy was struggling to reach the top shelf. "Nearly there..." he balanced the boxes on the top of the step ladder, supported by his free hand as he shoved some things around trying to make space, before once again, heaving the boxes above his head. He managed to slide the bottom one onto the top shelf. Pleased with his success, he began stepping down the small ladder, yet his clumsiness showed as he tripped over his own foot and immediately held onto the nearest thing to him, which was the top shelf as the ladder toppled over, the metal clanging on the ground. The shelf didn't hold for long, creaks were heard as he could feel the wood splitting. Before he could call for help, the shelf split in two, as Yugi, along with the contents of the shelf tumbled to the ground, followed by a loud 'oof!'

Picking himself up again, the 7-year-old dusted his clothes and rubbed his bruised leg. Unsure of how he would explain this to his grandpa, Yugi began clearing up the mess he made, a little downhearted. He was re-stacking the boxes when he came across something he was sure he had never seen before. It was a strange, golden box, with a creepy looking eye on the front. It looked ancient and he wondered why it had been kept in the basement. Lifting the lid, Yugi's eyes were dazzled with gold as the treasure inside was revealed. It was all broken up, a puzzle of some sort. There were no written instructions within the box of what it was and how it worked but the boys spirits rose, he loved a challenge and this was perfect!

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The ex-pharaoh glanced over towards the eye of Horus, something was different about it. It was a subtle change but after spending such an unimaginable amount of time within the same surroundings, a change like that would hardly go unnoticed. The light shining through the slit in the middle was brighter. As the lost soul studied the new feature, his mind attempted to think back to the last time something new was added. He struggled with this, he couldn't even remember a time before he came unto this cell. It was all he had ever known which was probably why this addition bothered him so much, yet he was strangely disappointed when it changed back to its usual dim glow. He eyed the carving suspiciously. _What could this mean?_

The eye continued to glow brighter on occasion, sometimes more frequent than others, there was no real pattern as to when it lit up but the ex-pharaoh grew to enjoy the change in the atmosphere every now and then. It wasn't abnormal for it to shine brighter some days, yet this time, it was brighter than it had ever been before. The golden light pierced the room like a blade releasing every corner from the shadows. Shielding his eyes, he staggered towards the blinding light, curious as to what was building up. He could recall things from his life like the sunrise of the earth showing the light's triumph over darkness, which made seeing the immense light familiar yet even then, it was never this bright. Standing before the eye, he reached his arm forward and pressed his hand against the stone. The golden light abruptly transformed into white and surrounded everything.

Opening his eyes once more, the ex-pharaoh was more than surprised to witness the room of which he stood in. It was colorfully decorated and was cluttered with papers and books.

"This air..., it's so natural...could it be...?"

His eyes located towards the desk where a gold, pyramid shaped pendant lay with a piece of rope secured around the top. He silently strolled towards it and hung it around his neck where it belonged. He could only vaguely remember, but he knew it once belonged to him. Smiling sadistically, he turned and exited the bedroom door.

"Whomever released me, I _will_ repay my debt to you."

Hope you all enjoyed it! If you ask me the whole thing was a bit of a waste of time but it was fun to write

Review please !  
x


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